Voters in both Colorado and South Dakota will have a say on abortion rights this fall after supporters collected enough valid signatures to put measures on the ballot, part of a national push to pose abortion rights questions to voters since the U.S. Supreme Court removed the nationwide right to abortion.
South Dakota's top election official announced Thursday that it had completed the validation process, putting the measure to voters in the conservative state where a trigger law banning nearly all abortions went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
The Colorado measure officially made the ballot Friday, and would enshrine abortion rights into the constitution in a state which already allows abortion at all stages of pregnancy.
Since that 2022 decision, most Republican-controlled states have new abortion restrictions in effect, including 14 that ban it at every stage of pregnancy. Most Democratic-led states have laws or executive orders to protect access.
Additionally, voters in seven states — California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont — have sided with abortion rights supporters on ballot measures.
It's not clear yet how many states will vote on measures to enshrine abortion access in November. In some, the question is whether amendment supporters can get enough valid signatures. In others, it's up to the legislature. And there's legal wrangling in some states.
Some efforts that sought to restrict or ban abortion have also failed to reach ballots. In Wisconsin, the House approved a measure asking voters to ban abortion after 14 weeks, but the legislative session ended without a vote from the state Senate. Likewise, Iowa lawmakers ended their session without approving a measure asking voters to find that there's no constitutional right to abortion. Pennsylvania lawmakers previously pursued a similar amendment, but it's not expected to be added to the ballot this year. A Louisiana measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution died in committee, and one in Maine effectively died when it fell short of receiving the approval of two-thirds of the House.
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